Whither Cellular? An Interview with Martin Cooper, the “Father” of the Portable Cellular Phone Wireless Communications Alliance May 15 Meeting Silicon Valley, May 5, 2007

For Immediate Release

Mr. Cooper will address a range of issues surrounding the development and growth of cellular technology throughout the world; limitations and challenges in bandwidth, and deployment issues; and future systems including iBurst, WiMAX 802.16(e) and others. He will also discuss his view on critical factors in becoming a successful entrepreneur in the wireless arena.

“We are very honored to have Martin Cooper as the presenter at our May meeting,” said Richard Ellinger, President of the WCA. “He is uniquely qualified to provide insight and vision into the current and future state of cellular technology.”

Speaker and Interviewer

Martin Cooper, Executive-Chairman and Co-founder of ArrayComm, is a pioneer in the wireless communications industry. Cooper conceived the first portable cellular phone in 1973 and led the 10-year process of bringing it to market. During 29 years with Motorola, Mr. Cooper built and managed both its paging and cellular businesses, and served as Corporate Director of Research and Development. Products he introduced have had cumulative sales volume of more than $80 billion. He has been granted eight patents in the communications field and has been widely published. Under Mr. Cooper's leadership, since its founding in 1992, ArrayComm has grown from a seed-funded startup in San Jose, CA to the world leader in smart antenna technology with 400 patents issued or pending worldwide. Mr. Cooper received the American Computer Museum's George R. Stibitz Computer and Communications Pioneer Award in 2002; he was an inaugural member of RCR's Wireless Hall of Fame; Red Herring magazine named him one of the Top 10 Entrepreneurs of 2000; and Wireless Systems Design provided him with the 2002 Industry Leader award. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology from which he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in 2004. He serves on this university’s Board of Trustees.

Sarah Jane Tribble is a business staff writer for the San Jose Mercury News. Tribble joined the Mercury News last year to write about the telecommunications and energy sectors. Tribble focuses her attention on stories about emerging technologies such as wireless networks, mobile phones and alternative energies. She also watches the moves of Silicon Valley heavyweights Cisco Systems and Calpine. Tribble has been a business reporter for nearly a decade and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Charlotte Observer and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
About the Wireless Communications Alliance (WCA)

The Wireless Communications Alliance, founded in 1993, is a Silicon Valley-based, non-profit business league of 2000 individuals and 350+ companies and organizations dealing in wireless technology and markets. The goals of the WCA are to promote education, networking and exchange of non-proprietary information; increase awareness of Northern California’s vast wireless capabilities; and assist a broad spectrum of companies, including start-ups. The WCA organizes monthly meetings with presentations on a wide spectrum of topics including the technical and marketing aspects of wireless products and services, regulatory issues, wireless standards and investor-driven wireless market analysis. The web site, www.wca.org, lists current events as well as past presentations and other pertinent information relating to the wireless space. The WCA is run by an all-volunteer Board of Directors.